Five things Packers need to address in the bye week
5. Improve tackling
Tackling is perhaps the number one concern for this defense after four weeks.
We all saw the Packers miss about 38 tackles trying to stop Alvin Kamara get into the end zone last week, but it’s been a concern all season long. That continued on Monday against the Falcons.
Matt LaFleur said there were at least 13 missed tackles against the New Orleans Saints last week, and it won’t be a surprise if there were a similar number against the Falcons.
An important play early in the game came when the Packers had the Falcons pinned back on their goal line. Matt Ryan found Julio Jones on a screen pass but Kevin King was there to stop him on their own one-yard line. King couldn’t make the tackle and it led to an eight-yard gain. Plays like this happened throughout the game.
The Packers will need the defense to win them a game or two down the line. For that to happen, there needs to be some big improvements on this side of the ball. It starts with tackling. Make it a one- or two-yard gain instead of six or seven.
It’s been a great start to the season for the Packers, who have proved to be Super Bowl contenders so far. But to go all the way, there are some areas to improve. The bye week presents a perfect opportunity to do that.